Jordan Wagner

If you're a guitarist, an artist's signature axe is almost as identifiable as their music is itself. The look, fit, finish and feel are expressly designed to make an undeniable statement to the player's personality and attitude.

Other than being the among the cornerstones of electric guitar design, what do the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul and SG (and many more) all have in common? Believe it or not, when they were originally released they were all mocked and laughed at for their then-strange body designs and electronics. They were revolutionary of course, but it took many brilliant axe slingers to prove their capabilities beyond being a weird fad. Great guitar design has always been about the marriage of eye-catching looks, playing comfort and, of course, tone. And without creative people continuing to push the envelope, the world would still be limited to the handful of electrics that were first introduced in the '40s and '50s.

In anticipation for the release of their ninth studio album 'Savages', Soulfly recently debuted a brand new single dubbed 'Master Of Savagery' at The Gauntlet (which can also be heard below). The song's take-no-prisoners riffage, screeching vocals and barreling drums show that Cavalera and company are back with a vengeance.

Musician's Friend recently caught up with Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess for an intimate, two-part tour of the famed musician's home studio. Both videos explore his vast collection of keyboards and synthesizers, which run the gamut of analog Moog models, modern digital synthesizers, rare and unique models, and more.

In anticipation for their upcoming album 'Lightning Bolt', Pearl Jam recently uploaded an isolated drumming video featuring Matt Cameron for the album's first single, entitled 'Mind Your Manners'. Additionally, the band's YouTube channel also contains a newer clip of guitarist Mike McCready discussing the single's punk-influenced sound.

Sonically speaking, the pickups in your guitar are at the forefront of your tone. Everything within your pickups -- such as their number of windings, the material and thickness of their wire, and their magnet type -- can have drastic effects on your tone's feel, sustain, punchiness and response. As such, many metal players oftentimes replace their stock pickups with hotter ones for more gain and aggression. It's a cheap mod that's relatively painless to perform and a hell of a lot cheaper than trying to fix the issues with a new guitar, amp or pedal.

At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeonly buzzkill, there are many players out there who don't put enough consideration into the unpredictable situations that come with owning nice gear. It's good to be prepared for those maddening moments when your gear breaks down suddenly -- and it's especially wise to have a backup plan just in case they failure occurs in the middle of a gig or jam session.

Phoenix New Times music blog 'Up On the Sun' recently caught up with Melvins guitarist Buzz Osbourne (a.k.a. King Buzzo) while the band was kicking off their 30th Anniversary Tour in the Arizona city. Osbourne discusses many aspects about his band's storied career, his five favorite Melvins albums, and his incredibly unique aluminum and acrylic guitars made by Electrical Guitar Company.

Black Stone Cherry guitarist Chris Robertson recently chatted with Total Guitar about the new Paul Reed Smith Starla S2 guitar, which is a more affordable version of the company's higher end model. Robertson was one of the few artists chosen by PRS to test out the guitar a month before its official release, and give the company feedback on their performance.

Dream Theater keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Jordan Rudess has released a brand-new iOS ear training app entitled, 'EarWizard'. Rudess teamed up with developer Felipe Peña to create an app that trains and improves memory through musical sequences, which results in a stronger ability to instantly recognize chords and notes.